best add-on for agitation?

I'm currently on 300mg Topamax and Xanax prn for BPII but I feel I need something else for unchecked, sporadic agitation brought on by stress and/or hormones. I'll be fine one minute and then the next minute I want to start screaming. And this goes on all day long.

I also have mild-ish problems with hallucinations but I kind of just live with it. I've been kind of scared off by all of the recent bad press that atypicals have gotten...and once I get a thought ruminating inside the old brain...well, you know. Now I'm just too nervous to give tham a try again.

Anyway, Seroquel made me too sleepy and Abilify made me too nervous. Also, I react badly to SSRI's.

Other than that, I'm open to suggestions for what's worked for anyone else. There are so many meds out there that I don't know where to start and my Pdoc is usually pretty open to whatever I ask to try.

Thanks very much for any help you might be able to give. Love to you all.

Hi, welcome to PC. I think you might have answered your own question? You have Xanax PRN..for bipolar disorder symptoms...that's what it appears you are dealing with... would increasing it temporarily help?

I hear ya on the SSRIs (I also react badly to them and SSNRIs.)

Are you taking Topamax for migraines or as a mood stabilizer? I took it for the latter, and it made me REALLY anxious, and emotional... and I had a 2 second recall of verbal statements, not good when you attend lectures daily.

I take Lamictal now, and it's incredible -- within a couple of months I went from being severely depressed to being functional and happy. It also helped w/ my anxiety.

Also, I take Vistiril as my anxiety med, since Xanax didn't really help me.

Good luck in finding what's right for you!

Jessie

Thanks for your response. I hear where you're coming from with the Xanax suggestion, but I can only use it if I'm going to be around the house as it makes me so dopey and often sends me to bed; which makes me feel as if I need to be sedated to be acceptable company. I was looking for more of an add-on med that would tweak the ongoing chemical imbalance rather than having to pop a Xanax only after things had already gotten out of control and I felt I was at my wit's end. I prefer to use the Xanax for things like dentist appointments, car trips, anything else that freaks me out a bit, but now take them when the agitation gets bad, of course.

I've taken Topamax as a mood stabilizer for years and it's been great for me. I haven't noticed any agitation from it. I was the same way off meds and even if the Topamax was causing some of these SE's I would prolly still stay with it because of the good it's done me. I just wish I could find something else todeal with the agitation. I am so easily irritated about nothing at times and I don't want to be this way.

I'm glad you've had success with Lamictal and are able to attend lectures. I'm still not able to function outside the house, but maybe someday. Thanks for taking the time to post to me.